The Final Battle
by Captain Spider
Summary: Sasuke approuches Konoha with the intent to burn the leaf village to the ground. While the village prepares for war, Rock Lee takes it upon himself to confront Sasuke alone and end the Uchia's rampage. Even it kills him.
1. Lee's Chose Sasuke's Goal

**This is just a little story I thought up and is basically what I would like to see happen in the Naruto manga but I know won't. If the story seams rushed that's because I typed it up pretty fast. **

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**Chapter 1: Lee's Chose and Sasuke's Goal**

It was mid afternoon in the Village Hidden in the Leafs. On the surface it seemed like a normal day, as all. But one look at the faces of the people and you could tell something was amiss. The normal piece and safety one normally felt in the village was absent, replaced instead by a presence of fear and anxiety.

The reason for the heightened lever of paranoia was because of one person. Sasuke Uchiha.

A few days ago Kakashi Hataka, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki had returned from their mission to try and retrieve Sasuke. They had failed, and when they returned they informed the council that not only had Sasuke killed Danzo, but was now coming to Konoha with the intent to destroying the village.

This had been taken as an act of war, and Sasuke was declared an S rank rouge nin, with instructions to be killed on sight. After that the entire village was been put on lock down until Sasuke was dealt with. No one went in or out without permission from of the new temporary Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, and all ninja where on high alert for the presence of Sasuke Uchiha.

Like many other ninja, Rock Lee had been assigned to patrol the wall that protected the village and watch for signs of the traitors Uchiha.

From his position Lee shifted in anticipation and nervousness. Unlike the rest of the ninja on guard Lee was not content to simply sit and wait to be attacked. He had other plans beyond simply guarding the village wall.

From his position against the wall Lee looked up, watching closely as ninja patrolled along the top of the wall. He watched them closely waiting until for just the right time, then when he was sure no ninjas would see him, he took off his microphone, and raced off into the woods as fast as he could.

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Lee moved fast through the forest; faster than most people could comprehend. He dodged between bushes, trees and any shadow large enough to hide him. If anyone was watching, all they would have seen was a blur, followed by a slight breeze swaying the flora.

He knew what he was doing was wrong. It was treasonous. He was defying direct orders from the Hokage, and he could end up being banished from the village for disserting his post, assuming he lived long enough the return. As he moved through the tree tops he reflected on what he was about to do, and how he had come to the decision that would ban him a traitor.

After being informed of Sasuke's intentions Lee had asked his teammate Neji what he believed would happen if Sasuke attacked. Neji had been blunt as always, saying that if Sasuke attacked it would most likely be a repeat of the destruction that Pain had unleashed not long ago.

The though of another attack like Pain frightened Lee to his core. He knew that Sasuke could not destroy the entire village by himself, no matter how strong he had become. Even Pain could not destroy the entire village on his own, and his power was beyond measure. But like Pain Sasuke was powerful, and even if Konoha did not fall, the attack would result in the many deaths.

Family, friends, teammates, all would to fight against the traitorous Uchia. Some would live, some would die, but in the end all would suffer the pain and loss of those they cared about, and unlike Pain, Sasuke could not, and would not, bring them back to life.

Lee had lost both his parent when he was only a year old during the attack of the kyubi, and he had spent almost his entire life, from when was placed in the Konoha orphanage to when he graduated from the academy, alone. He refused to let that happen to anyone else. He would not let a single citizen of Konoha go through that pain so long he could help it.

So Lee came up with a plan. If he faced Sasuke alone there was a chance, albeit a slim one, that he could defeat him, and end this war before it started, and spare the village that pain. It dangerous plan, with little chance of success, but it was chance he had to take. Even if it killed him.

Many people would say that Lee was crazy, that his plan was impossible, that there was no possible way he could win against the awesome power of the last surviving member of the Uchia Clan. Sasuke had taken down Ocochimaru, one of the great Sanin, Itachi, the man who had slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan, and even Danzo, the leader of Root and temporary Hokage. For a single ninja, a singe chunnin, to take on that kind of power. It was nothing short of suicide.

And yet Lee knew, of all the strong, skilled, and powerful ninja in the village willing to risk there lives against the might of the last Uchia. He was the only one who could possibly win.

Lee's overwhelming confidence in himself did not come from pride, or stubbornness, or even selfishness. It came purely from logic.

Lee was one of the few ninja capable of matching Sasuke in terms of both speed and brute strength. He was also the only ninja who had the skills needed to counter many of Sasuke's abilities.

Sasuke was considered a genius, and Lee had trained himself specifically to fight against those who were considered geniuses. The there was Sasuke's greatest weapon, the awesome power of his Sharingan. Over many years of training Lee had sculpted his fighting style specifically to fight against those how used dojutsu, and although Sasuke was not Neji, it was said that said by some that the Sharingan was derived from the Byakugan. That was good enough for him.

Lee was also the only ninja in Konoha to have not only defeated Sasuke in one on one combat, but to do so to the point that it shook the Uchia to his core. Leaving him unable to defend himself. That victory could very well give Lee the mental edge he needed.

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Elsewhere Sasuke Uchiha made his way through the forest. His destination was the city that he had once called home, the so called great village of the land of fire, Konoha.

The village had committed horrible crimes against him and his people. They had persecuted his people, tried to control them by locking them away in a private sector of the village and giving them a false title. Then when his people tried to rise above their captors they were brutally cut down. Even worse was they used his own brother to do it. They blackmailed his brother, using him to carry out their dirty work, and dragging the once proud Uchiha name through the mud. Then they raised him on lies, making him and the world believe that his brother was a monster, and that they were saviors.

Now he knew the truth. The people of Konoha where not saviors, they were terrorists. His brother was not a monster, he was a martyr. And he was not a survivor, he was an avenger.

He was the last of a once great clan, betrayed by the people they had protected. For their crimes the city of Konoha would pay. Konoha would fall by his hands, a victim of their own their huberous. He would do to them what they had done to his people. He would make sure that for every ounce of Uchiha blood that had been spilt to cover the villages lies, one hundred gallons more would be spilt. He would destroy the pillars of lies that Konoha had been built on, and their once proud city would crumble. He would cast off the shame that his people had endured forever buried in the dust with them. Konoha was not built in a day but it would fall in one.

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Suddenly Sasuke sensed the presence of another being coming toward him. He stopped and placed his hand on his katana, readying himself for battle.

In an instant a green blur emerged for the forest and Sasuke came face to face with Rock Lee.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he saw his opponents. "Well if it isn't Konoha's green beast? I certainly didn't expect to see you here. Where's Naruto?"

Lee refused to look Sasuke eyes, but spoke a cold voice. "He's not here." His voice was flat and emotionless, so unlike the normally happy and energetic boy he'd meet years ago. There also was a trace of anger in his voice.

For the second time in as many minutes Sasuke's eyebrow rose. Which was probably a record for him. "I see, so you are here alone."

Lee nodded. "Yes."

"I suppose you've come to give me some heartfelt speech about friendship, and loyalty, and why I should abandon my quest for revenge and come back to the village?" said Sasuke in a board tone. He was getting tired of hearing the same speech about friendship and loyalty over and over again. Didn't any of these fool realize that what he wanted was not friendship and love, but vengeance. They all thought that his mind was clouded, that he was blind to what was going on around him, and what path he was choosing. But they were wrong. He knew exactly what he was doing, exactly what path he was choosing. He was choosing darkness over light, revenge over friendship, hate over love. And he accepted it, the same way that his brother had before him.

"No," replied Lee I the same icy voice. "To be honest I do not care if you return to Kohana or not. You have caused much pain to the village, and to the people who love you. Personally I believe the village is better off without you. You are a missing-nin now, and my orders are to bring you in. Dead or alive."

Sasuke was slightly taken back by the remake. This was the same guy who had forgiven someone that crushed his and leg, leaving him crippled, without a shred of mercy. He never would have thought Lee would be the type to condemn someone. "I'm surprised you feel that way Lee. Especially after you so willingly forgave Gaara after he crushed your arm and leg, leaving you all but crippled."

"Gaara has apologized on several occasions for the horrible actions he committed." Lee said as he glared at the man in front of him. "And each time his eyes showed the deep and unending remorse he felt for his past sins. You however have made no efforts to make amends for your crimes, and your eyes show nothing but the blackness that is your heart. It is obvious that you do not have a shred of remorse for the deeds that you have done."

Sasuke smirked, slightly surprised to at the ninja' ability to read him so well. _'So Lee, you're learned to read what is in other's hearts simply by looking at them. Perhaps you've finally become a first class ninja.'_

"Your right Lee. I don't regret what I've done," said Sasuke, with a purely sadistic grin. "I vowed to avenge my clan, to avenge my family, and that is what I'm doing. At first I believed that meant destroying my brother. But now I know that the deception and corruption of the leaf village runs deeper then I could have ever imagined," he said as his hands began to shake with excitement. "I will finish what my brother started. I will avenge my clan. I will cleanse the world of the lies the left has spread. Nothing will stand in the way of my revenge!" He said in a sadistic voice sounding too much like Orochimaru for Lee's tastes.

Lee stared at the man in front of him. In his eyes he saw the same fire and passion for revenge that he always had seen. But now there was something more. His eyes had a gleam of madness in them that he had never seen before. "I see. Then it truly is too late for you. Either way I cannot let you continue hurting people, and I will do anything to stop you."

Sasuke just smirked. "Come now Lee, Do you really believe you can beat me? You may be strong, but you're nowhere near my power."

Lee let his words speak for him as he entered a fighting pose. "You have never truly seen me fight, Uchiha. You do not know what you are facing. Surrender now, and I will let you live."

"What people say and what they mean are remarkably different. You don't _really_ believe that you can defeat me, Lee, because deep down you know you simply aren't strong enough and never will be."

"I don't lie," replied Lee. "When I say I can do something, I believe that I can do it. Anything can be achieved with enough hard work, and I've been working all my life."

"Quoting Gai again. I'd have thought you would've outgrown that by now."

"I'd have thought you would've outgrown your selfishness by now, too," Lee retorted. "Same old Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked. "Same old Lee."

They stood there in silence, eyes locked and wordless for what seemed to be a millennia before Sasuke finally spoke again. "Very well Lee, since you're so eager to fight I'll give you a glimpse of my power. "Tysukiomi."

All Lee saw was a spinning spiral of red and black before his mind went blank, and he dropping to the ground unconscious.

Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan, and shook his head. "All too easy." In all honesty Sasuke had hoped for a better fight from the tijutsu expert. "Then again what could I expect from a talentless ninja."

However as Sasuke prepared to continue his journey to Konoha he failed to notice as Lee's eyes fly opened. In an instant Lee was behind him. Before Sasuke could even react Lee gave him a powerful kick which sent him flying forward, and slamming into a nearby rock that cracked upon impact.

Sasuke growled. He stood, whipping the blood from his mouth. _'How is this possible? I hit him with Tysukiomi.' _

It was then that Sasuke realized something about the green clan man that he had over looked. Since there fight started Lee had made sure to kept his eye looked on the Sasuke's lower body. '_He's avoiding me. Avoiding my eyes. He's fighting by watching my body so as not to make eye contact. Then when I used Tysukiomi he pretended the attack worked so that I would let down my guard. Clever.' _

Calming himself he faced Lee with his normally emotionless face. What really interested Sasuke about Lee was not his fighting style, but his attitude. "Not bad Lee. I never would have thought of you as the type to manipulate your opponent."

"Things change," responded Lee, the same emotionless look was copied on his face.

Sasuke nodded. He could tell from the beginning that there was something different about Lee. He had never seen the green clan ninja attack with such cold ruthlessness. Normally when Lee fought, he fought with the utmost honor and respect toward his opponent, but something was different. And Sasuke knew what it was. It was his eyes.

The look in Lee's eyes had changed. Before they were bright. Full of youthful hope and innocence. Now they had darkened. Lee now had the same eyes as him. Eyes that hungered for revenge.

Sasuke pulled out his katana, and entered a battle stance. "Fine then, let's see just how much you've changed."

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**That's it for the first chapter. Next chapter the battle begins. Who will triumph in the fight of hard work vs. genius?**

**Until then Please remember to Read and Review. I am always open to questions, comments and constructive criticism.  
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	2. The Battle Begins

**Thank you to nativenin and counselor2009 who reviewing my story, and thank you to all those who read and favorited this story or myself. **

**Chapter 2: The Battle Begins  
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Both warriors glared at one another with no motion of attack coming from either of them.

Sasuke was at a disadvantage, and he knew it. Ever since his fight with Itachi he had lost the power of the curse mark. Not only that, but because of Lee's style he could not use any genjutsu's on him, not even Tysukiomi. He could try using Amatuaru, but there was a slight lag in the jutsu. Judging by Lee's display of speed he would probably be able to dodge it. Still, even without the powers of his Mangekyo Sharingan he was confident that his power would be more than enough to kill the tijutsu expert.

In one smooth motion Lee slid off his backpack and opened it, taking out a pair of black sia daggers. "You are not the only one with a weapon Uchia."

Although they were enemies, Sasuke couldn't help but admire Lee's blades. The blades in the middle were 12 inches long, the two blades on the sides where both 6 inches, and the handles were tied with fine leather. The expertly carved black metal seemed to glow in the sun light. Clearly they were the work of a master craftsman.

'_It's almost a shame to destroy them,' _thought Sasuke.

The silence was finally broken when single leaf broke from one of the trees and gently landed on the ground. Almost instantly, both oppositions jumped back and attacked.

The two rushed at each other. Sasuke charged his blade with his chidori, intending to slice through Lee's sai's, and end the battle quickly.

The two meet in the middle, their weapons clashing against each other. They glared at each other, the thirst to kill and spill the others blood clear in both their eyes, as they pushed against each other, fighting for dominance.

Finally Sasuke pulled his sword away, and jumped back. He was surprised that his sword had not sliced through Lee's sia's. In fact they had barely left a scratch. "Interesting. What are those made of?"

Lee smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" The truth was that Lee wasn't sure what the blades were made of. They had been a gift from Tenten after he had achieved the rank of chunin, and all she had said was that they were very special.

Still, even though his sia's where immune to Sasuke's chakra slicing ability, he still felt some of the electricity running through his blades, slightly numbing his hands. However he managed to push through the awkward tingle, and continue fighting

The two attacked each other again. Sasuke struck high as Lee blocked with his blade. Lee tried to stab him with his other sia, but Sasuke jumped up, and over him, pulling his sword away with him.

He landed and turned just as Lee tried to take his head off with an up kick. Sasuke dodged, and tried to strike Lee with his blade, but Lee managed to block the strike.

Sasuke pulled his sword to the right, and ducked down to slide his blade free of the sia's grasp, before striking at Lee's face. But Lee pulled back and blocked the attack.

Lee stabbed downward at Sasuke with both his sia's, and Sasuke managed to block the blades with his own.

Sasuke rushed at Lee and stabbed at him. Lee dodged to the side, and Sasuke swung his blade to follow, but Lee blocked before being hit. Lee pushed forward forcing Sasuke back.

Sasuke rushed at Lee, he held his sword high as he struck downward with both hands. Lee blocked with his sai's in a cross pattern. Lee pushed Sasuke back and did a spin kick, hitting Sasuke in the gut and forcing him back.

Back at Konoha, the air was tense as all waited for the arrival of the rouge Uchia, and the start of what was sure to be a violent and bloody battle. None was more tense or more tired then a certain pink haired Kinochi. She had been on guard duty since the village got word of Sasuke's approach, and now exhaustion was beginning to set in in place of determination. Thankfully she only had a few more hours till her shift was over, and she would be able to go home, and get some much needed sleep. _'These 24 hour shifts are murder,'_ she thought.

She let out a load yawn, but her relief didn't last long. "Saukra, I know your tired, but could you please keep it to yourself," came a board voice over her ear piece.

Sakura blushed, "Sorry Shikamaru, I forget how sensitive these microphones are." She touched the electronic device around her neck and adjusted it to a better position.

"Sakura," sounded another voice. "The mic is pressed directly against your throat, so the slightest sound of you voice, we can hear."

"Again, I am sorry Shikamaru. I won't do it again." She could hear a chorus of irritated sighs and Shikamaru mumble, "troublesome". However she noticed one voice was missing from the collective group. A load, youthful, and at times, annoying, voice. She knew she was being paranoid, but something in her gut told her that something was wrong.

"Lee what's your status?" she called into the mic.

She waited a few second but received no response.

"Lee, please respond," she repeated.

Again there was no reply, and Sakura's heart quickened with worry.

"Shukamaru, Lee's not answering his communicator. I'm headed to his sector to investigate."

She jumped quietly from her position a top the wall, crouching low to the ground, being sure to use the shadows for concealment. She was probably the closest to Lee's position, and would be the first to arrive. The best and safest route quickly played in her mind before she took off.

When she arrived she found…nothing. No weapons, no disturbed earth that signaled a struggle, just an empty filed.

She scanned the area as best as he could. She scanned the area three times before her eyes caught sight of something on the ground. Quickly and quietly, she moved to it's location to get a better look. From a new and safe position she could tell what it was, Lee's microphone.

"This is Sakura. I am in the Northwestern Sector. No visual contact on Lee," she looked at the communicator on the ground. "Possible combat."

"Affirmative Sakura," replied Shikamaru. "All Squads, report to Northwestern Sector. Backup squads, assume assigned posts. House squad, move to the safe house, and begin lockdown procedures."

"Hai," could be heard over the channel by five distinctive voices.

It was only a second before Kiba arrived at Sakura's location, having been the closest to Lee's position besides Sakura.

Once he arrived Kiba began sniffing the air, gathering as much information as he could on what had happened. "Judging by the level of decay of the sent he couldn't have been gone long. An hour maybe two at the most."

"Do you think he was captured?" questioned Sakura.

Kiba shook his head. "No, there's no sign of a struggle, and there's no other sent besides his."

"So, he just up and left?" asked Sakura.

Kiba frowned, but nodded. "Looks like it."

Sakura frowned. Lee was one of the most loyal ninja in all of Konoha. The thought that he would just abandon them, especially at a time when they needed him, and every other ninja, the most. It simply didn't seem like Lee. "Which way did he go?" she asked.

Kiba sniffed the air, gauging which direction the sent was strongest, before responding. "North, towards the forest."

Sakura's eyes went wide, and her face paled as realization suddenly dawned on her. "He's gone after Sasuke."

"What makes you think that?" asked Kiba, raisng an eyebrow.

"Think about it," said Sakura. "Lee headed north. The same direction our intelligence said that Sasuke was most likely coming from. What other reason would he have for abandoning his post, and heading that way other than to fight Sasuke."

"But to take on Sasuke alone. That's crazy," Said Kiba.

Sakura shook her head. "Lee's always been the type to take on more than he can handle," she said, remembering how he tried to take on the sound ninja team single handed in the forest of death to protect her. "Especially if was to protect people." She gazed out at the forest, in the direction Lee had gone. "I'm going after him."

"What?!" yelled Kiba. "Sakura are you crazy? We're in the middle of a lockdown, remember. We're not supposed to leave the village without permission under any circumstances."

"I know," she said, though the tone in her voice indicated that she didn't care either. "If I'm not back in an hour inform Kakashi-sama of what has happened."

Without waiting for a response Sakura took off into the forest as fast as she could.

Meanwhile, the fight between the two ninja raged on as they continued to strike again and again. They moved with incredible speed becoming nothing but blur's of green, white, and blue. The only sign of their presence was the sparks made by the collision of their weapons, and the continuous sound of metal clashing with metal filling the air.

Every time Sasuke tried to make a stab at Lee he would block or dodge, and the same was true for Lee when he struck. '_This is becoming pointless. I can't catch this guy.'_ Sasuke thought in frustration.

Sasuke tried to slice at Lee's head again, but Lee ducked. He did a back flip hitting Sasuke hard in the jaw, and sending him to the ground. Lee lunged forward, attempting to stab Sasuke, and put an end to the fight. But Sasuke kicked out, hitting him in the gut, and sending him backwards.

Sasuke got up and felt his jaw. It wasn't broken, thankfully, but it still hurt like hell. He spit out a tooth before settling his sights on his opponent who had already risen to his feet. He had to admit he was impressed. "You're pretty good with those," he remarked.

"As are you," replied Lee.

The two stared at each other as the cautiously began to circle one another, each one looking for an opening.

Finally Sasuke was the one to break the growing silence. "Tell me something Lee since you are here on your own, and obviously not at the request of the Hokage, am I correct in assuming that means you've defected from the village, and are now a rouge nin."

Lee nodded. "That is correct."

"Curious then," said Sasuke. "that you would fight to defend the leaf village, knowing you can never go back."

Lee's eyes momentarily saddened, before becoming stern again. "I left to _protect_ the village, and all those that live in it. I will defend the village at all costs, even if mean being labeled as a traitor."

Sasuke smirked. "We're a lot alike aren't we Lee? Both treated as outcasts by the village that is our home. We both disagreed with the actions of our superiors, and so we took matters into our own hands."

Lee glared at Sasuke, fury burning in his eyes. "We are nothing alike Uchia. I fight for freedom, for peace. You fight for death, for destruction. I fight for others, while you fight only for yourself."

"Don't try to play the white knight with me Lee," countered Sasuke. "My eyes can see right through you. You say you're here to defend the village, but in reality this is nothing but an attempt to prove yourself. By defeating me you hope to prove to the village, and to the world how strong you are. You hop to prove once and for all that a failure can defeat genius and finally gain the respect that has so long eluded you."

Lee didn't even to dispute the Uchia's accusations as he his eyes filled with a small amout of shame. It was true, he had come here to kill in order to protect the village, but the thought that defeating Sasuke would prove his worth as a ninja, had indeed crossed his mind. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, and raised his head back up. "Why I am here does not matter. I have challenged you, and I will not back down."

Sasuke nodded. Even if Lee where to suddenly back down he had no plans to let him live. Besides, Sasuke had always wanted to pay Lee back for the humiliation the green clan ninja had handed him during the Chunin exams. "Very well Lee. Then prepare to be the first leaf ninja to feel the vengeance of the Uchia clan."

Lee attacked the former Konoha Ninja, who dodged, and hit him with a round house kick in the chest. Lee flew back, and slammed into a tree, hard, causing his sia's to slip from his grasp as he landed on his feet.

Not giving Lee a chance to recover, Sasuke rushed at him.

Lee looked up just in time to see Sasuke coming toward him, his sword raised to strike. He bent backward avoiding the strike. With a single powerful kick Lee knocked the sword out of Sasuke's hand sending it flying. Lee followed up with another kick, but this time Sasuke managed to catch his foot and throw him.

Lee flipped in the air before landing, and taking his normal tijutsu stance. They stood there for only a moment, before Lee rushed at Sasuke.

Sasuke smiled, ready for whatever Lee had prepared. He ducked to the ground before Lee could hit him with a right hook, rolling several feet to the left. When he got up, Lee had already adjusted his direction and was charging at him again. Lee threw a back knuckle, reverse punch, and then a left roundhouse. Sasuke blocked them both perfectly.

Lee then lashed out with a kick, and Sasuke leapt to the side to avoid it. Lee used the momentum from his kick to spin around, switching feet and kicking at him again. Acting fast, Sasuke twirled around and blocked Lee's foot with his own. The kick, as Sasuke realized, had more force behind it then he expected, and he was thankful that his foot wasn't broken.

Sasuke then started to punch rapidly and Lee started to do back flips causing Sasuke to miss every attack. Lee kicked up right under Sasuke's chin. Sasuke fell back and landed on his back.

He looked up and saw Lee coming at him with an axe kick. He quickly rolled to the side as Lee's heel struck the ground. Sasuke thought quickly and kicked him right in the face. Lee rolled backward, but still managed to land on his feet.

Lee flipped through the air, before performing a downward ax kick. With no time to dodge, Sasuke raised his arm and blocked the kick. Like before the attack had more force than Sasuke was expecting, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He pushed his arm and Lee's leg, upward. Lee recovered using the momentum from the push to perform a back flip.

As Lee landed Sasuke struck at him with his fist. Lee tipped his head to one side, then the other when Sasuke struck at him with her other fist. He ducked under the roundhouse that followed, then somersaulted to the side, away from another kick. He moved quickly behind Sasuke, and struck him in hard the back, sending him to the ground.

Pushing himself up, Sasuke turned around, and swung at him Lee.

This time Lee did not dodge, instead raising his left arm to parry the blow. His right leg came up quickly, and struck Sasuke in the side.

Like Sasuke Lee did not give him time to recover and ducked down, performing his famous Konoha Dai Senpuu. Sasuke's side ached as he jumped into the air, avoiding the kick. As Lee finished the attack, he jumped up fallowing Sasuke into the air, and performing an uppercut.

Sasuke flipped in the air, avoiding the strike, but couldn't avoid as Lee hit him in the gut with a spinning kick.

Lee landed, fists raised and ready. Sasuke said nothing, bringing up his own arms in a defensive pattern, left arm extended forward with his right curled back, elbows bent at different angles, and his left leg leading.

Lee launched a charge at Sasuke, a savage howl tearing from his throat. His left fist was held parallel with his side, aiming for Sasuke's gut.

Sasuke dashed to the right, gripping Lee's forearm simultaneously. As he continued to move, he wrenched the ninja's arm around, lifting it high in the air at first, then bringing it down, twisting it as he did so. Lee flipped once, before landing on his feet. He then grabbed Sasuke by the arm, and used the momentum to hurl him over his shoulder. Sasuke spun in the air, landing on his feet. The two stood glaring at each other.

"You've gotten much better Lee, I see that Gai has trained you well over the years," he paused. "Too bad I'm going easy on you."

Sasuke pulled back his sleeves, revealing the weapon summoning tattoos underneath. He quickly summoned one of his famous windmill shuriken, which he launched at Lee.

Lee looked up just in time to see the blade coming toward him. Even more was the fact that he saw it was covered in lightning chakra, so he couldn't touch it. Lee jumped up easily dodging the blade as it sliced through the tree behind him.

The minute Lee realized his mistake; it was too late, as a second shuriken was already heading toward him. _'The shadow shuriken technique.'_

Still in the air, Lee bent backwards, expertly twisting his body as he avoided the second blade.

However, just when Lee thought he was out of danger Sasuke pulled on a small, almost invisible string, attached to the shuriken. The blades suddenly disconnected from the ring they were attached to, and sailed towards Lee, who was still in the air.

Lee did his best to avoid the blades, but he had already used his momentum earlier, and one of the blades hit him in the ankle. He fell to the ground, holding his ankle in pain.

Calmly Sasuke walked toward Lee. "I have to say that I'm disappointed Lee. I would have thought you'd be faster than this. What happened to all that speed and skill you used to have? If this is the best you have, I might as well finish you off right now." he said, as he held his sword high, preparing to decapitate the green ninja.

Lee smirked. "If it is speed you wish to see, then I will be happy to grant your request." He then reached into his leggings and quickly pulled out his ankle weights. He dropped them to the ground where they each made a sizable impact despite being dropped from such a small height.

In an instant Lee disappeared, now moving was zipping around with a level of speed far beyond what Sasuke expected. Lee was so fast Sasuke had trouble even keeping track of the green ninja, let alone countering his attacks.

Suddenly Lee appeared in front of him, only to disappear, and re-appear behind him. Before Sasuke could even try to defend himself Lee hit him with a powerful punch directly to face, sending him flying and skidding across the ground.

Sasuke rose to his feet, whipping the blood from his mouth as Lee resumed his stance, looking at him with a smirk.

Sasuke looked at the mark on Lee's leg from the shuriken. The clothing was ripped, but the skin underneath was fine. _'I see. When I launched those skuriken blades they hit the weights on his ankles, but where to thick to cut through.'_

Realizing that he was outmatched in terms of speed, Sasuke decided to even the playing field. His eyes turned from their normal black, to a familiar black and red swirl.

Because Lee was still centering his vision on Sasuke's body, he did not notice the change in Sasuke's eyes pattern, and again rushed at the Uchia.

Again he was quickly in from of Sasuke, as he struck forward. This time Sasuke easily managed to dodge as he tilted his head to the side. Lee continued on with the strikes unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks, only for Sasuke to block or dodge each one.

Lee threw himself into an almighty punch, but again Sasuke dodged, letting him fly forward, than hitting him in the back. Lee dug the toe of his foot into the ground and used his momentum to slingshot back around, aiming a kick at Sasuke's head. Sasuke ducked under the kick, and countering with his own powerful kick to the chest.

The kick sent Lee to the far side of the clearing, but he managed to right himself in the air, and land on his feet. Lee charged forward at Sasuke, reaching him in an instant, despite the distance. Sasuke waited until Lee was just about to strike before spinning to the side, then raised his hand and delivered an open palm strike to his back as he went rushing past, sending him to the ground.

Lee rose, and once again rushed at him like an angry bull. Again Sasuke dodged out of the way, using his forward momentum against him to send him to the ground. It was a cycle that repeated itself several more times. Lee would charge, and Sasuke would dodge and redirect him. It was like watching a dance.

After several rounds of being avoided Lee frowned, realized he was get nowhere. _'Sasuke's speed has suddenly increased. No, it is not his speed that has increased, it is his reaction time. He has activated his sharingan.' _

It was then Lee realized, Sasuke had been toying with him from the very beginning of the fight, and was barely even trying. '_Up until now he has been going easy on me. No doubt wishing to conserve his chakra for when he attacks Konoha. Very well then, I will have to show him that I am not an opponent he should go easy on.'_

**That's it for chapter 2. Next chapter the fight gets serious. Please Read and Review. I am open to all types of questions, comments, and criticism.**


	3. The Gloves Come Off

**I know it's been a long time since I last updated anything. Unfortunatly my computer died and took everything with it. It was unfixable so I had to save up and buy a new one. As always that thanks to the people who reviewed the last chapter.**

**Thanks to all those that reviewed this chapter.**

**123liconcla: And it will continue  
**

**Kyoshira7: Thanks. I used to do karate so when writing action try to imagine the action happening in my mind and then write it out as best I can.**

**LOC: That's only if Sakura get's there before the fight ends. **

**Chapter 3: The Gloves Come Off**

Lee glared at the man in front of him. _'It is no use. Even at full speed his power is still far beyond mine and he has not even broken a sweat. There is only one chose. In order to defeat him I must be prepared to use all my power._' "This is your final chance Sasuke. Give up now before I take this any further."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He knew Lee meant what he was saying as Lee was never known for his deceit, but couldn't understand why he would have such confidence when he was so obviously outmatched.. "I don't think so, Lee. You're about to meat you maker."

"Then you leave me no chose. I cannot let you hurt my precious people, and I will do whatever it takes to stop you." Lee looked down and changed his focus to his inner gates.

Sasuke was confused as to the reason for his enemy suddenly dropping his guard. Until he realized that Lee's chakra was beginning to grow at an astonishing rate. _'But why? Lee can't use ninjustu of Genjutsu so why is he building his chakra?_ "I don't know what you're trying to do Lee, but whatever it is it won't work." he said as he began creating a Chidori in his left hand.

Lee crossed his arms as the veins in his fore head began to bugle "Normally, I would stand no chance against you Uchiha, but this time you cannot defeat me no matter how strong you have become." Lee said as he heard the infamous chirping of a thousand birds fill the air.

"Oh really? And why is that?" Sasuke said enjoying the look of anger on the green-clad man's face.

"Because I am not fighting for myself. I am fighting to protect the ones I love, to protect my village, and to protect my ninja way! Now you will see the power of those bonds. The third Gate, Gate of Life: Open!" There was a powerful bust of chakra as Lee's skin turned a bright red, and his purples disappeared. Powerful waves of charka were emitting from his boy causing everything around him began to shake and crumble away as it grew more and more intense, making him look more like a demon then a man.

Sasuke looked on in slight amazement as he witnessed the transformation, losing concentration on the electricity focused in his hand. He could feel as Lee's chakra suddenly skyrocketed.

Lee ran forward at inhuman speed preparing to end the fight in a single punch. But despite the tremendous increase in power opening the gates had given him it still wasn't enough.

Just as he was about to reach his target Sasuke dodged, avoiding the attack as Lee punched the ground where he had been standing.

From his new position Sasuke looked over to see Lee with his fist in the center of a small crater where he had previously been standing. _'Incredible. His power and speed suddenly skyrocketed. If it wasn't for my sharingan he would have taken my head off. What kind of jutsu is this?' _

Lee quickly spotted Sasuke and came at him again only for Sasuke to began sprinting away backwards. Lee fallowed, keeping pace with the rouge ninja.

Sasuke jumped back against a tree and pushed off toward Lee and delivered a hard elbow to his face that sent him flying backwards into a nearby boulder, causing it to crumble upon the impact.

Lee got up and tried for a punch, only for Sasuke to leap into the air. "Take this. Chidori Senbon!" he shouted launching a barrage of electric needles.

Lee jumped back and began sprinting backwards barely keeping one step ahead of the electric shower and feeling the static they produced as they tore up the ground in front of him.

"Now take this. Chidori Sharp Spear!" shouted Sasuke sending a spear on electric energy speeding toward the green ninja.

Lee dodged, as the electric blade streamed past his side, avoiding him by mere centimeters as it stabbed into the ground behind him. When he looked up he saw Sasuke speeding toward him using the electric blade to real himself in like a grappling line.

Once he was close enough Sasuke delivered a powerful punch to Lee's face that sent him smashing into another boulder.

Pushing himself from the destroyed rock Lee dashed toward Sasuke and the two quickly began to exchange a fury of superfast blows. Lee tried a kick but Sasuke jumped into the air, avoiding the blow. As he was in the air Lee jumped up and hit him directly in the face with a high kick.

As Sasuke fell toward the ground Lee landed and dashed toward him. But just as Sasuke was about to land he disappeared. Lee looked around but could see no sign of the Uchia.

"Behind you."

Before Lee could even attempt to dodge Sasuke appeared behind him and delivered a powerful kick to his back sending him flying across the battle field, tearing up the earth as he went. He skidded to halt and got to his feet, scanning his surroundings for the rouge ninja.

He quickly realized where he was when he heard the familiar sound of chirping birds directly behind him. From behind Sasuke attempted to slice Lee's head with a chidori but Lee disappeared before the attack hit.

Sasuke's eyes were quick to spot Lee perched on a boulder some feet away. Running through a few quick signs He inhaled deeply. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" he shouted blowing a giant ball of fire toward Lee.

With no time to dodge Lee did the only thing he could and lept high into the air.

Sasuke smirked as he watched Lee fly into the air just as he had hoped and inhaled again. "Katon: Great Dragon Fire!" he shouted releasing several massive fire streams straight at him.

Lee's eyes went wide as he saw the fire dragons headed for him. With nowhere to go he shifted his weight flipping in the air as he attempted to avoid the attack. He could feel the intense heat as the giant fire ball flew by him, missing only by millimeters.

Lee landed on the forest floor, the top of his normally green suit somewhat charred by the closeness of the flames, making it look a darker green almost black color.

Sasuke stood a few feet in front of him, his arms crossed and a smug look on his face. "Come now Lee is that all you've got. If so then I'm disappointed."

Lee panted, feeling a few aches and pains._ 'His speed and power is unreal. Even now with three of the gates open his power still surpasses my own by an incredible about.'_ "It seems that I will have to pull out all the stops just to survive."

Sasuke smirked. "Why the hesitation Lee. No more tricks up your sleeves. Not that they'd do you much good. It doesn't matter if you've trained every minute of your entire life for this. My power is a wall that you will never be able to break through with shire effort alone."

Lee looked up at the rouge ninja, his eye filled with the flame of determination. "Then allow me to show you what hard work can accomplish as I bring that wall down."

He crouched down and his veins began to bulge as he put more chakra pressure on the next gate and he started to inhale deeply to allow the gate to work effectively. The ground around his legs began to shake and crumble as small stones rose into the air around him. "Gate of Pain: Open!" he shouted as the stones and earth floating around him were blown away before he rushed toward Sasuke at an inhuman speed, tearing up the ground as he went.

Suddenly Lee appeared in front of Sasuke and slammed his fist into Sasuke's face, sending him flying. What astonished Sasuke the most was that Lee was moving even faster than he was earlier, to the point where he was barely able to see him.

Suddenly he felt the air shift behind and barely had time to turn as Lee seemed to appear out of thin air and barely managed to block as Lee left lose with a savage kick. The power behind the kick sent shock waves resonating throughout the area and would have broken his arm had he not reinforced it with his own chakra.

Before the shock waves even dissipated the two warriors vanished from sight, now battling at speeds beyond what the human eye could track.

Every punch and kick sending out shock waves which served as the only indication of their location.

Finally Sasuke landed a hard hit to the gut causing Lee to double over as he elbowed him in the back, sending him to the ground. He then raised his leg, charging it with lightning as he struck downward.

Lee rolled and dodged the attack as Sasuke's leg smashed into the ground imbedding itself there.

Before he could remove his leg from the earth Lee struck him with a powerful kick to the jaw sending him into the air.

Sasuke flipped in the air before landing in crouch. He quickly scanned the area for the green ninja but saw no sigh of him.

Suddenly out of nowhere Lee appeared in front and launched a powerful punch. Sasuke crossed his arms in front of his face blowing the punch as the force of the blow unleashed a small shock wave. He then pushed forward as he uncrossed his arms, causing Lee to stagger backward and began to unleash an onslaught of punches and kicks.

Lee grunted in pain as he received the full force of every one of Sasuke's painful attack. Suddenly Sasuke pulled back his arm farther then before and charged his hand for a chdori. Lee saw his chance and unleashed a powerful uppercut, hitting Sasuke in the jaw.

As Sasuke fell he did a back flip and caught himself with one hand. He pushed off hard and sent himself into the air where he ran through a few quick hand seals. "Take this. Fire Style. Great Fire Ball Jutsu."

Lee avoided the attack but realized too late that the attack was nothing but a distraction as Sasuke emerged from the flames, his hand covered in electricity as lunged at him in fury.

Lee jumped into a front-flip and straight over Sasuke's charging head. He spun his body in the air and aimed a kick directly at Sasuke's head.

Sasuke saw the attack and blocked it with his left arm. He pushed the leg away and spun around to hit the still air born ninja.

Lee ducked backward under Sasuke's punch landing on his hands and them pushing both feet forward as hard as he could. Sasuke barely had time to bring his arms up to block as the incredible force of the kick pushed him back.

Lee used the momentum from the kick to flip backward and land in a crouch.

He sat there panting and whipped a small trickle of blood from his mouth. He now knew that while he was able to match Sasuke, he simply couldn't keep pace with Uchia forever. If he wanted to live through this battle he would need to take things to the next level.

Rising to his feet Lee exhaled as he crouched down and began to open the next gate. His veins began to bulge as he put more chakra pressure on the next gate and he started to inhale deeply to allow the gate to work effectively. "Gate of Closing: Open!" he shouted as the stones and earth floating around him were blown away before he disappeared leaving a small crater as he rushed toward Sasuke at an inhuman speed, tearing up the ground as he went.

As Lee quickly approached him Sasuke inhaled a deep breath. "Fire Style, Phoenix flower jutsu!" He shouted launching a storm of fire balls. His eyes went wide as Lee ran through the barrage of fire balls, continuously disappearing and reappearing as he easily avoided the flame blasts.

When Lee reached him Sasuke attempted a punch but Lee easily caught the attack with one hand and kicked upward, striking Sasuke in the jaw and nearly tearing his head off.

The attack sent Sasuke flying back where Lee continued his assault by dashing behind Sasuke and delivering a brutal kick to the back sending him straight into the air. As Sasuke was sent skyward Lee jumped up, quickly appearing above him and delivering a mid-air ax kick that sent him flying head first down into a small tree.

As soon as Sasuke hit the tree it exploded in a shower of wood leaving nothing but splintered wood and a tree trunk. Sasuke removed himself from tree and dashed forward, quickly going through the hand seals for his Chidori. He threw the arm with the Chidori back and attempting to strike Lee with it only for Lee to disappear at the last second.

Sasuke quickly realized where Lee was when an elbow made an impact with his stomach. Lee pulled his fist from Sasuke's gut and unleashed another powerful punch. This one sending him crashing backward into the side of a cliff.

Not giving Sasuke anytime to get regain his breath Lee went at him with everything he had. He felt his muscles begin to tear as he pummeled Sasuke with a flurry of high speed punches, pounding him deeper into the rock. Finally he bought his left hand back before driving it hard into Sasuke's face, shattering the cliff side and sending Sasuke flying.

Sasuke lay face down on the ground as Lee stopped moving, breathing deep as he begin to feel the after effects of his attack.

Sasuke pulled himself up onto his hands and knees, his body surrounded by the rubble of the once mighty mountain. Blood dripped from his mouth as he clutched his side, struggling to breath as he felt what was no less than three broken ribs. "How? How can it be? How can he be stronger than me? I belong to an elite clan of the greatest ninjas the world has ever seen. The blood of the Uchia's flows though my vein's. I possess a legendary power that few could even dream of. How can be losing to worthless a no talent ninja like him?"

Lee saw Sasuke struggling to stand and couldn't help but smile. "Amazing. Even after all that damage, he still has the strength to continue. He is even stronger then I remembered." Suddenly Lee felt pain shooting throughout his body as the effect of opening the gates began to make themselves know and his muscles began to tear themselves apart. "Using the gates really does a number on my body. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up before the strain destroys me."

Once Sasuke regained his strength he got to his feet and glared at Lee, his expression having turned from one of shock to pure killer instinct. _'I will not be beaten. Especially not by a no talent ninja like him.'_ "Get ready Lee. You're about to experience the true power of the Uchia Clan."

On shaking feet Lee returned to his fighting stance, readying himself for whatever Sasuke was planning.

**The fight between Lee and Sasuke has only begun as Sasuke prepares to unleash his full power. Will Lee survive or will Kohana's handsome beast fall before the might on the Uchia clan. Find out next chapter. Until then Please Read and Review**

**Also to all those who were waiting painterly for this story to continue I have good news. In the long time I was absent I managed to finish this particular story and starting now I will upload each new chapter every 3 days till it's finished.  
**


	4. All or Nothing

**Thanks to Maximum for his long and detailed review. It made me stop and think while proof reading this chapter.  
**

**Originally this story was only going to be four chapters but I decided to extend this part of the battle and make it into five. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 4: All or Nothing  
**

Sasuke glared daggers at the teenage ninja, who stood in his tijutsu stance awaiting his next attack, his fist beginning to shake with rage. How? How was that someone like Rock Lee of all people, a ninja with no natural ability what so ever was able to match and even surpass him in combat? He was an Uchia. An elite among ninja. He should be able to easily destroy a talentless fool like him.

'_As much as I hate to think that's it's come to this. I'm let with no chose. We'll see how Lee he is when he's witnessed the full extent of my power. This is going to greatly reduce my chakra but it's the only way. And the look on his face will more than make up for it.' _"Now Lee. Prepare to witness the true power of the Uchia clan!"

Sasuke's stared straight as blood began to drip from his eyes. A dark wind began to blow through the forest. Lee could feel as Sasuke's chakra began to grow and change; twisting into something that was not of this world. A black aura of chakra began to surround him the likes of which Lee had never seen before and it began to mold itself into a dark form around Sasuke's body.

Lee watched with wide eyes as a demonic shape began to materialize around Sasuke like a black suit of armor.

Lee looked upon the completed creature in fear and amazement. Before him stood a demonic humanoid creature. It's formed of bones that were as black as night hell it's body covered in a black flame that looked as though they had spanned the deepest pits of hell. Attached to left hand was a blade made of pure dark chakra, and it's right was a bow designed like a shield. Standing inside the belly of the beast like an unborn child was the rouge Uchia.

Lee looked on in fear as the monsters stared at him with its glowing white soulless eyes. _'So this is Sasunoo. It is just as Kakashi-sensei described it. The chakra it is emitting is darker than anything I have ever felt. It feels as though it is staring into my soul. As though it is trying to devour me into an endless void of nothingness. Truly it seems more like a god of death than a god of battle.'_

Sasuke smile in arrogance seeing the petrified look on Lee's face. "Sorry to keep you waiting Lee. But this battle will soon be over. Now I'll show you the true power of the Uchia clan."

The hulking monster raised its shield like arm and fired a arrow made of dark energy straight toward the green ninja. The arrow hit with explosive force that sent dust high into the air.

Sasuke looked where Lee had once stood with a smirk. However his victory was short lived as his eyes widened slightly before frowning in anger when he spotted the silhouette of a figure through the cloud of smoke and dust.

On the other side of the some Lee was breathing heavily, having just barely been able to dodged where arrow hit. He stared at where the arrow had hit with astonished spot where he once stood there was on nothing more than a desolate crater. _'Incredible. Never have I seen an attack with such raw power. If that arrow had even grazed me it would have been fatal.'_

His thought was cut short as he hear the sound of Sasuke's beat roar. Looking forward he saw the beast once again raise its and knew the beast was about to attack again.

Lee jumped back as fast as he could, avoiding the first arrow by inches as the ground he'd been standing on explosive with dirt and dust.

More arrows fallowed as Lee ducked dodged again and again, zipping around the forest at an incredible speed as he desperately tried to avoid the back death. The ground exploding with each missed arrow, turning the surrounding area into a war zone.

Sasuke grinned as he watched Lee zip through the forest like a scared rodent. "That's it Lee. Run like pathetic beast that you are!"

Though Lee was fast enough to doge the arrows it was only by the skin of his teeth. He felt the heat and harsh wind slam into him with each explosion.

With so many arrows firing Lee knew it would only be a matter of time before one got lucky and either hit him, or injured him badly enough to get a clear shot. He dodged another arrow and used the cloud of dust the explosion kicked up to zip around behind a tree. He flattened himself against the tree sweat running down his face and his heart thumping in his ear as he desperately tried to think of a plan.

Sasuke frowned as he looked around for green ninja among the think foliage. "It's no use trying to hide Lee. Your jumpsuit may let you hide you from normal ninja, but my eyes can see you wherever you go." Using the power of his sharingan Sasuke scanned the forest until he stopped a small blob of chakra. "There you are."

Lee heard the whistling of the wind as the arrow sailed toward him and jumped as far away as he could. The second he did the tree exploded in a shower of splinters and Lee was not far enough away to avoid sharp wood piece that ripped past him.

Just as he landed Susanno was in front of him and delivered a hard backhand that sent him slamming into a large pillar of rocks that collapsed onto him upon impact.

Sasuke walked forward and stared at the pile of rubble, looking of any hints of movement. Seeing none he extinguished his powerful jutsu. "About time you finally went down Lee."

Sasuke turned to walk away but before he could leave the area he heard the sound of shifting rocks coming from behind him, followed by a voice. "N-not so fast, Uchiha."

Sasuke spun around quickly, eyes wide as he say Lee standing amidst the pile of broken and cracked rocks. The top portion of his suit was completely in ruin showing the horrid burn he had received from the earlier fire blast. His body was covered his cuts and bruises with small pieces of wood sticking out from his skin.

His breathing was ragged as his face dripped with sweat, his breathing was ragged as he struggled to stand. But he did manage to stand, and return to his original fighting stance. "I refuse to let you harm any of the inhabitants of Konoha. I will stop you even if I must lay my life to do so."

Sasuke frowned in anger and clenched his first which soon became engulfed in black flaming chakra. "I'm growing tired of these games Lee." At once form of Susanno appeared around him and it's bow like shield high into the air. "This ends now Lee. Thousand arrow storm!"

Suddenly countless arrows shots from the bow on Sasunno's arm. They flew high into the sky as their massive numbers blocked out the light of the sun, blanketing the field in darkness.

"Run if you want Lee this but it's useless. This jutsu has no gaps or blind spots. Even you speed isn't enough to escape it."

Lee watched as the seemingly infinite number of arrows soared high into the sky, blocking out all light and turning the battle field as back as night. '_He is right. This jutsu covers every angle leaving no room to dodge. And the penetration power of those arrows means that no defensive structure could stop them. I have only one chose. Please forgive me Guy sensei, but it seems I must use that technique. _

Lee crossed his arms in front of him as he again concentrate on the power inside. His vein began to bulge and pulse as an aura of white chakra began to surround him. Then he began to yell, roaring as though to let out the massive energy inside him. "Gate of Joy: Open!" Suddenly his entire body began to glow with white light before the incredible power within exploded from his body.

When the light faded Lee stood there, his fist clenched tight and his knees bent as though the power within him was weighing him down as the earth shock underneath him. Chakra was radiating from his body as it swirled around him, causing the air around him to bend from the intense power he was emitting.

Lee looked up as he focused on storm of arrows that were down soaring down toward him. With a powerful leap he soared into the air, lunching him toward the black storm.

Sasuke looked up at the ninja in bewilderment. "What is that fool doing?"

In an instant Lee reached the height of jump with the arrows now right in front of him. Gritting his teeth he pulled he his right leg back as far as he could and swung toward the arrow closest to him with as much force as he could and a roar of, "Infinite Lotus!"

As he swung the friction from the blinding speed of his kick caused his limb to suddenly ignite with a raging fire and unleash that looked like a burning lotus that exploded on impact and destroyed the black arrow.

Lee's legs moved at lightning speed as he let lose with a barrage of super-fast flaming kicks.

Sasuke watched in astonishment as Lee single handily destroyed every single one of his dark arrows with his burning kicks before smoothly falling back down to earth where he landed in a crouch. Lee stood and looked at Sasuke, his white demonic eyes glaring intensely at the Uchia. "Now it is your turn."

Quick as a flash Lee rushed toward Sasuke, his inhuman speed making him appear as nothing but a blur even to Sasuke's sharingan. Sasuke glared and raised his Susanoo's arm and began firing arrows in rapid succession.

But Lee's increased speed allowed him to easily dodge the projectiles as he made his way toward the demonic giant. In an instant he was in front of the beast and leapt into the air toward the creature's face, his arm extended and ready to strike with all his might.

But just as he was about to unleash his attack he was suddenly grabbed from the air by Sasunno's large hand.

Lee struggled to free himself from the monster's grip but found that it was impossible to even move as the beast held him in it's crushing skeleton hand.

Sasuke grinned in satisfaction as he held Lee in the deadly grip of his jutsu, the powerful ninja now nothing but a toy. "What's the matter Lee. Having trouble catching your breath." Sasuke squeezed his hand and his monster tightened its grip, causing Lee to scream in agony. "If memory severs this is how your battle with Gaara ended isn't it. But where he was content to cripple you, I am going to grind you into dust."

Lee's blood curdling screams echoed through the forest as the monster tightened its grip. He could feel his bones beginning to crack and brake. The monster's intense chakra burning his flesh as his vision began to blur from the blinding pain.

Sasuke grinned in satisfaction as he continued to tighten his grip, slowly and painfully squeezing the life from the ninja. "Tell me Lee. Any last words before I put you out of your misery."

Despite the blinding pain Lee looked at Sasuke through his hazy vision, and with blood dripping from his mouth smiled. "Just this. Gate of Shock: Open!"

All at once a massive amount of chakra exploded outward from Lee's body like an inferno. The power of unleashed energy was enough to cause the very air itself to ignite burning even Susunno's hand as it dropped the ninja in it's hand.

Sasuke looked at the ninja in shock and aww, unable to fully comprehend what he was seeing. Lee stood before him, his entire body now covered by a blazing aura of chakra. The flames where a mystical fiery blue that seemed to wrap around him like an inferno, not unlike the flames that surrounded his own beast. _'What is that? It can't be chakra. So what is it?'_

Lee looked at Sasuke with his hardened hallow white eyes as the blue energy swirled around him. "Your beast is strong Sasuke. But now I will show you a beast that is even stronger."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow wondering what his opponent was talking about. He knew full well that Lee couldn't do ninjutsu so there was no way he could summon something. Even if the tijutsu ninja did have something up his sleeve Lee was smart enough to know that Susanno was invulnerable to attack.

Lee raised his right arm and made an upturned fist in front of his face. He then brought his other hand back as far as his could before slamming it into his fist as hard as he could, then then quickly brought his hands together and made a seal the likes of which Sasuke had never seen before. "Raging Dragon Fist!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as the outline the large and ferocious dragon head emerged in front Lee's out stretched fist. _'What is that thing? I know it's not a jutsu because I don't see any chakra running through it.'_

"Now Sasuke, face the power of my beat. Roar my Dragon!" Instantly the dragon charged forward, energy training behind it like a serpent's body as it opened its large fangs to devour Sasuke and his Susanno.

Sasuke didn't try to dodge and instead stood his ground, fully confident that his Sasunoo could take any attack the tijustsu ninja could throw at him. _"_It doesn't matter what kind of attack this is. Whether it's Ninjutsu or some kind of Taijutsu my beast will destroy it."

The dragon hit Sasunno dead center quickly exploding outward in a massive and destructive dome of shockwaves.

Miles away Sakura stopped as she saw the massive explosion erupt and the destructive shockwaves racing toward her at and incredible speed and tearing up everything in their path. With no time to take cover she grabbed onto the branch of the tree she was on, using her chakra enhanced strength to dig her fingers deep into the wood.

Even as she braced for impact the shockwaves hit her with more force the she had ever felt before. Her entire body was pushed back and would have been sent flying if not for her iron grip on the tree. She held on as hard as she could doing her best to ride out the torrent of shock waves, the whole time her arms felling as though they were going to be torn off.

After what seemed like an eternity of pain the shock waves finally ended. She removed her now stiff and aching fingers from the bark as she breathed deep in an attempt to regain her strength. "What? What was that?"

Sakura pushed herself onto her feet. She channeled her chakra to her sore muscles before continuing. Even from here the force of the explosion was devastating. The entire forest floor was littered with debris and many of the trees in the area where either broken or lying on the ground, completely uprooted from their foundation. The entire area looked as though it had been hit by a hurricane of biblical proportions. Even the aftermath of Naruto's four tail blast was nothing compared to this. "I don't know whose jutsu that was. But no matter who unleashed that attack the outcome can't be good."

At ground zero the aftermath was even more devastating. Dust surrounded the area and not a single piece of vegetation was left standing for miles, leaving nothing but a desolate wasteland of dirt and dust.

In the middle of newly formed wasteland stood Lee, his body still ablaze with blue energy, and the bandages on his right hand were damp with the blood of his now broken bones. A side effect of the ferocity of his attack. Across from him was Sasuke who was breathing deep as he struggled to remain on his feet. He was no longer protected by his dark monster and his body was littered with scars and bruises as blood dripped from his mouth and eyes.

Lee slowly walked toward the defeated Uchia who fell to his knees from a mixture of pain and exhaustion.

Sasuke looked up at green ninja with rage and resentment, struggling to talk as he held his acing side. "How…How is it possible? Susanno is the ultimate defense… it's supposed to be invincible. Yet your attack…went thought it as though it wasn't even there."

Lee frowned as he looked at his opponents with his hallow white eyes. "Do you know how many times I have battled against a ninja who claims that they have the ultimate defense? That they cannot be defeated. Your Susanno is powerful because it allows you to block any physical or spiritual attack used against you. It renders all Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Tiajutsu worthless. But my dragon is none of them. Instead it is made up of a massive amount of air pressure focused into a single point that explodes outward the instant it makes contact. Despite your monsters invulnerability, it still allows you to breath."

Lee reached into his leg holster and pulled out a kuni which he pointed at Sasuke. "I will give you one last chance at redemption Sasuke. Give up your meaningless quest for vengeance and return to Konoha willingly, or else I will be forced to end your life here and now."

Sasuke lowered his head and couldn't help as a low chuckle escaped his lips. "You're just like Naruto you know that. Thinking you can save everyone without having to take a life. The only thing is." Sasuke looked up, his eyes burning with the power of his Sharingan. "I don't want to be saved." Quick as a flash Sasuke took a breath and ran though his seals. "Fire style: Dragon flame Jutsu."

Lee didn't even have time to react as three large streams dragon shaped fire came barreling toward him. However right as the flaming dragon's reached him they suddenly turned, shooting upward in the sky where they vanished from sight.

Lee looked up toward the sky in anticipation, expecting to see the dragon reemerge from the clouds and descend towards him in an attack of some kind. A few tense second past with no sign of any incoming attack.

He looked over at Sasuke who had fallen to his knees, now too weak to even stand. _'I don't understand. Was there supposed to be more to the attack? Did he not have enough chakra to finish it?'_ "I don't know what you were attempting with that last attack Sasuke but it's over now. You wasted what little chakra had left."

Sasuke chuckled. "Poor Lee. One of the strongest ninja's in Konoha and yet still as dumb as a brick."

Lee blinked in confusion until he noticed a small amount of white steam emit from the flaming blue aura that still surrounded him. More steam fallowed and Lee looked up to see storm cloud's beginning to gather turning the bright blue sky as dark as night._ 'I don't understand. Where did those clouds come from?'_

Soon the wind picked with incredible strength and began to howl as ice cold rain began to pour down, soaking the two ninja to their core. Thunder began roar as lightning crashed in the sky.

Sasuke grunted. Rising on shaky legs as the pouring rain washed away the blood on his face. "You see Lee. Those dragons where never meant to hurt you. They were just to set up my final technique. A technique that allows me to wield the power of the havens themselves."

Lee watched in amazement as the dark clouds began to swirl, gathering together over Sasuke's head. He watched as he raised his hand into the air, using his ability to manipulate lightning to call down the lightning in the sky toward him. _'Incredible. To be able control such raw and un-tempered power. So this is what the power of the Uchia is capable of.'_

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the lighting in the air, weaving and molding it as though it were a toy until it took on formed the lightning it into a monstrous beast. It's very form crackling with unrestrained power as Sasuke grinned at the now speechless ninja. "This is the end Lee. Your speed won't help you now. My beast travels with the speed of lightning. Even if by some miracle you manage dodge a direct attack the blast is still strong enough to completely annihilate you."

Sasuke threw his hand down launching the energy toward glowing ninja. "Now Lee, disappear with the thunder!"

Lee watched as the massive attack came toward him at incredible speed. The whole world began to turn white from the blinding light it was emitting. Just as he was about to be hit and his life ended, a single though ran through his head. _'I am sorry Gia Sensei, but I must use that technique.'_

**What is Lee's final technique? Will it be enough to counter Sasuke's devastating lightning attack? Read the next and final chapter to find out. **

**Until then please read and review this one.  
**


	5. Death of a Great Ninja

**Sorry if this chapter is up a little later then I original intended. Had a few things come up. **

**As always thanks to Maxium and 123lionclan who reviewed the last chapter.**

**Chapter 5: Death of a Great Ninja **

BOOM!

There was massive explosion as the powerful lightning beast hit the earth sending up a mushroom cloud of dust and debris that filled the air and made the battle field as back as night. The power of the impact was so great that it took several seconds for the dust to clear enough to see so much as an inch.

When the dust finally bang to thin enough to see clearly and Sasuke gazed at the spot where his opponent only to find emptiness. There was no body to speak off, only a large black burn mark scorched deep into the ground. Sasuke smirked. "About time you finally went down." With his opponent finally defeated Sasuke slowly continued his journey to destroy Konoha.

Sasuke growled as he took care not to injure his body further. Though Lee had not stopped him he had certainly delayed him. His wounds and lack of chakra and were enough that he would have to make a stop before he reached Kohano to eat and rest. Meaning he would have to risk being seen and attacked by Anbu in his weakened state. "Dame you Lee. Dame you're corpse to hell. When I reach Konoha I'll make sure to repay you by giving Gai an extra painful death."

"You will harm no one Uchiha."

As though in slow motion Sasuke turned around and his eyes went wide at what he saw in disbelief. Not only was Lee standing tall, but his body was once again ablaze with flaming blue chakra that now burned even brighter and more intense than before. His body permeated with power as flashes of blue lightning cracked around the flames.

"Impossible. That attack was point blank. There's no way you could have survived that?"

Lee stepped forward as the air around him burned and bent in his presence while lighting lashed around. "You were right about your attack Sasuke. It was fast. So fast that I was forced to open the eighth inner gate in order to dodge it." Lee smirked. "Now, allow me to show you what true power is."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and stood his ground. "You want power I'll show you power!" Sasuke's eyes became wide as he stared directly at the approaching ninja and unleashed the power his brother had bestowed upon him. "Take this, Amatusaru!" raged Sasuke, as the hellish black flames emerged from his eye.

Lee didn't even try to dodge as the attack hit full force, exploding into a towering inferno of jet black fire. Sasuke smirked as the insatiable flames devoured the green ninja. "So much for his so called power."

However Sasuke's victory was short lives as a figure emerged within the still raging flames. Sasuke's jaw dropped as Lee steeped out of the raging black inferno like a demon stepping out from the deepest depths of hell, his body not even harmed by so called unstoppable flames. For a second Sasuke wondered if this was some kind of illusion, but one look at the charred patch of land behind him told him it was real.

For the first time since the fight began Sasuke felt fear and dread well up inside him. His legs began to shake with terror and his heart began to race as uncontrollable terror began to swell up inside him and he took a shaky step backward before launching several more black flames.

Lee simply stood his ground not moving an inch as all of the flames seemed to magically pass through him.

Sasuke growled in anger trying desperately to calm his now racing heart. "No! That's impossible! Amatsuaru is the ultimate jutsu. It devours anything in its path. How could you survive! You should be nothing but a pile of ash!"

Lee simply glared as he continued advancing toward the Uchia. "It is useless to attack me in this form. As long as I have all eight gates open my speed is so great that I am able to vibrate my very molecules through any object without harm. I am untouchable."

Sasuke's growled in anger. "We'll see about that. Take this. Chidori needle storm!" Sasuke hand glowed with lightning as threw his arm out and launched a barge of deadly electric needles. But just like the flames, they passed right through Lee as though he wasn't even there.

Sasuke growled as sweat began to run down his head. He was beginning to become desperate as he was running low on chakra and was attacks. "If jutsu's won't work then let's try steel." Reaching for his wrist Sasuke began summoning and throwing shuriken and kuni like a mad man, unleashing a storm of razor sharp metal. But just like everything else the storm of deadly weapons passed right through the ninja, leaving not so much as a scratch on him.

Suddenly Lee's body flickered out of existence and before Sasuke realized it Lee was in front of him. His hallow white eyes seeming to sear into Sasuke's black soul. Fear controlled Sasuke's body as he mindless threw a desperate punch at the ninja.

Lee caught the attack without even so much as taking his eyes off Sasuke, causing Sasuke's panic to grow. _'Impossible. He caught my attack without even seeing it coming looking._ _What? What the hell is he? Is he even human?'_

Lee began to squeeze causing Sasuke to scream in pain as he felt the bones in his hands being broken. Then with no warning at all Sasuke suddenly felt a small but powerful invisible force slam into his chest and send him flying across the battlefield where he landed face down in the dirt.

Sasuke rose to his hands and knee's as he clutched his chest in agony as though it were on fire. With a single kick that was too fast for even him to see Lee had managed to break at least two his ribs. He coughed up blood as he looked over at Lee who was slowly approaching him.

Then Lee stopped and crouched down and his fiery aura blazed to life. The ground began shake and crake as small rocks began to float around him. His veins began to bulge and his muscles to flex as though his body were latterly weighed down by all the power inside of him.

"Sasuke Uchia," he shouted, his voice now laced with a powerful and haunting echo. "You have committed unforgivable crimes throughout the ninja world. You abandoned your village. You attacked those you once called friends, and would have committed genocide for no other reason than then your own misguided revenge. Now the time has come for you to pay for the crimes you have committed! For all the pain you have caused! For all the lives you have ruined!"

A mixture of fear and determination rushed through Sasuke as he lifted himself on to his feet. But the moment he did Lee suddenly disappeared from sight. Before he could even register that Lee was gone it felt like his head had been torn off as a kick from below landed squarely on his chin. Before he could make it ten feet into the air he felt another hit from the side as he was punched in the ribs and sent flying downward.

Just as he felt the pressure of the attack leave his skin he was struck in the back by an even harder blow. Again and again he was hit relentlessly from all angles. Each hit coming only moments after the pervious one had finished.

Lee was moving so fast Sasuke couldn't even keep track of him. All he could see was a blur of dark green between the hits to his face that kept him mostly blinded. The kicks and punches went on for what seemed like forever, getting stronger and stronger as they broke bone after bone.

Lee raced around forest at incalculable speed, bouncing off the ground and what was left of the surrounding forest destroyed trees as he continued to attack Sasuke, who to him seemed to be frozen in midair. As he did he could feel his heart beating faster and faster and felt his body deteriorate from the inside out as more and more of it was turned into pure energy to power his attacks. He could tell his strength wouldn't last much longer. He needed to finish the fight now, while he still had the power.

Landing on the ground he sprang up at the suspended Uchia, hiding him dead center in the back as hard as he could, sending Sasuke straight into the air as he used the momentum to launch himself back to the ground. His landing created as small crater and he looked up to see Sasuke already higher in the air then he had anticipated. A clear sight that he was running out of energy and his body was beginning to slow.

With no time to spare Lee shot above tree's so that he was directly under Sasuke's body as he performed the dancing leaf shadow. As he floated suspended in the air he took the opportunity to look out at the beautiful forest stretched out before him. In the farthest distance he could just barely see the outline of Konoha. His mind drifted began thinking about all the people that lived there.

'_Neji, Tenten, Guy-Sensei, Sakura.' Please know that what I do today I do not just for you but for everyone, for all the people of Konoha, for all the people of the world. Goodbye my friends.'_

Lee took a deep breath as he summoned all the power his crumbling body had left, preparing to put all of his energy into his next and final attack as he released as much chakra as he could. The bandages around his arm began to unwind and warped themselves tightly around Sasuke like a snake. The irony was not lost on Lee that Sasuke would die because his body was constricted and unable to move of his will.

He turned the two of them towards the ground and shot downward like rocket as he began to spin the two of them as fast as he could. Faster and faster he accelerated, spinning more and more until they were nothing but a blur of flaming blue chakra.

"Meteor Lotus!" Was heard just the two of them impacted with the ground. The sound of their impact could be heard for miles as could the storm of dust and dirt it kicked up.

For minutes there was nothing but silence as the cloud of dust settled. The only sound that could be heard was the wind as it moved across the now barren and chard battle field.

Suddenly the silence was broken as a bloody hand reached the top of the crater, and soon the mangled form of Sasuke Uchia heaved himself from the crater.

Sasuke breathed slowly and deeply, his body struggling to handle the now excruciatingly task. His body was covered in bruises and cuts as blood streamed down his face from his forehead and his eyes before joining with the blood that was dripping from his mouth. Nearly all of his bones were broken or at the very least bruised. His right arm in particular was broken in multiple places, meaning he could no longer perform jutsu's. He could tell by his rasped breath and the blinding pain in his chest that he a collapsed lung and the rough iron taste of blood in his mouth meant he probably had some internal bleeding as well. _'I can't believe it. I've never been pushed this far before. Not even by Itachi.'_

Slowly and with great difficulty Sasuke pushed himself to his feet; nearly blacking out as he did. He looked around the bared field that had once been a thick forest before he finally spotted Lee lying a few feet away from the crater.

Lee body was no longer a flame, and his suit was covered in dirt, scars, and tried blood. If not for the slow rising and falling of his chest it would look as though the ninja was dead.

The green ninja looked like he couldn't even move. It made since. The eight inner gates were a double edged sword. If Lee's attack was able to do this much damage to him, then there was no telling what it did to Lee.

Slowly Sasuke dragged his broken body over toward his opponent, struggling with each step as his vision beginning to blur from the unbearable pain and loss of blood. His voice was raspy as he struggled to breath with one of his lungs was filled with blood. "Well Lee. It looks like that last attack did you in."

Lee didn't even try to move knowing that his body had nothing left. But that didn't keep the smile from his face as he looked up at the Uchia and in a slow pain filled voice announced. "Yes it did. My body is far to destroyed for me to even move. However it doesn't matter. Because I already won."

Sasuke looked at the ninja as though he was crazy. "What are you talking about? I'm still alive and you can't even walk, let alone fight. How in the world is that a victory?"

Lee smiled brightly, looking far too much like Naruto for Sasuke to stomach. "I did what I set out to do Saskue. I stopped you from destroying Konoha. You've chakra is gone and you have no more strength left. You could not kill a single Konoha ninja in the state you are in."

Sasuke growled at the arrogant ninja but then smiled devilishly and began to laugh like Orochimaru. "You truly are a fowl aren't you Lee. It's true that you may have stopped me today but it doesn't change anything. Because I'm still alive. And once I heal myself I'll return and kill every person in Konoha. It make take weeks, even months, but I will heal, and I will return to finish what I've started. Face it Lee, you're lost. You gave your life for nothing."

A flash of light caught Sasuke's eye and a smirk formed on his bloodied lips. "Besides you're wrong about me not being able to kill anyone. I still have enough strength to destroy one Konoha ninja. You." Sasuke slowly walked away from Lee but soon returned, dragging his previously discarded sword with his unbroken arm. "I could simply leave you to die. We both know that after opening all the gates it's only a matter of time before your heart stops beating. But I'd rather finish you myself."

Sasuke raised his sword and prepared to decapitate Lee who didn't even try to move. "Before I kill you I want to know something. Before this I was simply planning to kill the people of Kohona. There death would have been quick and painless. Only the most stubborn of ninja would have had to endure even the slightest pain when they died. But now. Now simply killing them isn't enough. Now they will suffer. When I attack Konoha I'm going to make sure that every single citizen feels us much pain as I have today before they I end their lives. Especially the one's you care about the most. Think about that while rot in hell!"

Just as Sasuke swung his sword he was suddenly hit hard in the face by a dentine hand in black fingerless glove. The hit caught him off guard and sent him sent him sailing, causing him to lose his sword when he landed.

Sasuke rose to his feet, spitting out blood and a handful of teeth as he felt his injured jaw. He looked to see who had hit him and was surprised to come face to face with a failure head of pink hair. "Sakura?" His astonishment lasted for only a second before it was replaced by a smirk. "Well, well, this is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you here?"

Sakura's face remained emotionless as she looked at her former crush. She could tell instantly by the surrounding area that the battle between them had been intense. A quick look at Lee made in obvious that he had lost. Though it would be hard to tell that by looking at Sasuke. "How could you do this Sasuke?"

"How could I not. Konoha tried to persecute my people, and when they refused to submit to the Hokage's tyranny he destroyed them. The soul's of my clan cry out for vengeance and I am the tool through which that vengeance will come." He said with a now purely sadistic grin. "Konoha will be burnt to the ground by the black flame of my family legacy, and from the ashes the Uchia clan will rise again." He said as his hands began to shake with excitement.

Sakura stared at the man she once and still loved. In his eyes she saw the same fire and passion for revenge that she always had seen. But now there was something more. His eyes had a gleam of madness in them that she had never seen before. No, that wasn't true. She had seen the look once before. The first time Sasuke had used the power of curse seal three years ago in the forest of death. It scared her more than anything she had seen in her life. This man. This wasn't the man she had once loved. She took a fighting stance as glared looked at Sasuke. "I won't let you do that."

Sasuke smirked. "Come now. Sakura. We both you won't hurt me. Now why don't you run along and get Lee to back to Konoha. If you're lucky you might be able to save him. Though I doubt it."

Sakura simply continued to glare at Sasuke. "Not until we finish this." For the first time her eyes held no trace of the usual lost love and sympathy she usually had when looking at him. Instead they were hard, like tempered steel with an underlining trace of anger.

Sasuke saw the look in Sakura's. While he knew Sakura was weak as a fighter he also knew that he had already pushed his body far beyond what he should have. _'As pathetic a fighter as she might be, in the state I'm curtain in there's no way I can beat her. My only chance is to catch her off guard and hit her as fast and hard as I can. Then she'll be disoriented and I can escape.' _

Sakura kept her eyes glued to Sasuke's form as he suddenly disappeared from sight. For a spit-second she was caught off guard and wondered if Sasuke had somehow teleported away. Then she realized exactly what attack he intended to use on her. It was one she had not seen Sasuke use in years but knew well. _'Lion's Barrage.'_

Just as she suspected Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of her with his hand on the ground as he kick upward. It was only thank's to the countless sparing matches she had had with Lee that she instinctively pulled her head backward. The attack barely missed connecting with her chin as she took the opportunity to grasp Sasuke's now outstretched leg. Gathering her strength she spun her body around and threw Sasuke as hard as she could.

Sasuke sailed a backwards out of the range of the destroyed battle field where he slammed into a tree with so much force that the tree truck snapped before he slumped to the ground. His eyes closed and his body unmoving.

Sakura only needed to look at Sasuke to know that he was dead. For some reason she didn't feel sad that Sasuke dead, nor did she or angry or happy. In fact she felt no emotion for the man at all. "Sasuke, even though you brought all this on yourself. It's a shame that your life had to end in such a miserable way. Me, Naruto, Kakashi, we all wanted to save you. But you turned your back on us. You could have been a hero Sasuke, a savior. But instead you chose to let hatred and anger rule you and become what swore to destroy. Now you will share the same fate as your brother. Known forever as a traitor, a murderer, and a disgrace to the name ninja. I only hope that in death you can find the peace that eluded you in life."

Turing her back on the man she had once loved she ran over to green clan ninja who still hadn't moved and was now struggling to breath. She bet down beside him and took his hand his hers. "Lee. Lee are you ok? It's me Sakura."

Lee turned his head toward her as he struggled to keep his eyes open. "Sakura…is…is he?"

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Yes Lee, he's dead. You beat him."

Lee tried to speak but Sakura put a finger to his lips silencing him. "Sush, rest now and let me heal you." Her palms glowed light green as she placed them on his chest to heal his wounds. Tears welled up in her eyes the moment she touched him as she fully realized the length to which Lee had taken the fight. Almost all of his muscles had been torn from the force put upon them, and many of his bones were broken in multiple places. Several of his organs had ruptured, and his heart was began to slow, unable to continue functioning. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she realized that no jutsu in the world could help him now, and that he only had seconds to live. "Lee I…I…"

Lee shakily lifted his hand, wiping away a tear that rolled down Sakura's cheek. "Please do not cry Sakura. It does not suit you. And do not be sad. I knew from the moment this battle began I knew that I would not survive."

"But why Lee? Why did you have to run off like that?"

Lee spoke in a calm and soothing voice, as though he were lecturing a child. "Because I knew that even if Sasuke was stopped many innocent people would still die. Look around you Sakura. Look at what our fight has done to the land."

Sakura looked at the barren land that had once been a lush and thick forest, now reduced to a barren field devoid of all life except for the two of them.

Lee grunted in pain as he felt his heart beginning slow down. "If I had not stopped Sasuke here this would have been the village's fate as well."

"But why didn't you wait for backup? Sakura pleaded, desperately trying to understand Lee's reasoning for fighting someone like Sasuke alone. "You, me, Naruto, and all the other ninja the village. We could have stopped Sasuke together, as a team."

Lee tried to smile but was cut short by another spasm of pain as he began to struggle even more to talk. "You know as well as I do that if you or any of our friends had joined us I would have been more concerned with their safety then with the fight. We all would have, and Sasuke would have used that to his advantage. By fighting him alone I was able to go all out without having to worry about the safety of my comrades."

Lee took a deep breath. His lung's having more and more difficulty taking in air as his voice grew shallow. "Sakura please. I beg of you. Tell the others. Tell Neji that I am sorry that I will not be able to finish our final battle." Gasp "Tell Tenten to never give up on her dream." Gasp. "And tell Gai-Sensei…tell him that he is the greatest teacher…the greatest father figure…that a ninja could ask for.

Saukra nodded as tears rushed down her face. "Yes Lee. I promise."

Lee's breath was now coming in short gasps as he continued to speak. "And Sakura…no matter what has happened between us…or where your heat lay…know that I have always… loved you."

With that that Lee closed his eyes and smiled as Sakura felt his heart beat for the last time.

Sakura picked up Lee's hand and felt it's now icy touch. "No. Lee. LEE!" Her emotional wall finally broke as the tears came flowing and she cried into the deceased ninja's chest.

**That's it for chapter 5. I hope you enjoyed it and the story in general. All that's left now is the short epilogue chapter. **

**Until then please Read and Review**


	6. Epilouge

**Here is the final chapter of my short Sasuke vs Lee chapter. **

**Small bit of warning, this chapter is meant to be really sad and emotional.  
**

**Chapter 6: Epilogue**

When Shikamaru and his team finally caught up with Sakura they found her still crying over Lee's dead body. They had to practically tear her away from him as they carried both her and the two bodies back to Konoha.

A few feet away they found Sasuke's corpse beaten almost beyond recognition.

Sasuke's body was dissected to remove all possibility of someone ever using the body to uncover the secrets of the Sharingan, before it was unceremoniously buried next to his father and mother in the Uchia graveyard.

The midic nin who examined Lee reported that he had opened all eight gates and it was believed Lee had been dead by the time Sakura arrived. Sakura did not dispute their clams. While she may had dealt the finishing blow she knew it was Lee who had really beaten Sasuke. To try and take credit for his bravery would be dishonorable to his memory.

A few days later Lee's funeral was held. The bright sun shone brighter than it had in years. The atmosphere was the opposite however as the entire village gathered under the Hokage monument to pay respect to the ninja that had saved them from the Uchia menace.

It was one of the largest gatherings that the village had seen since the death of the fourth Hokage. Even the Kazekage and his sibling journeyed from their home in the land of sand to pay their respects. The funeral consisted on a coffin that housed Lee's body with a small shrine and a picture of Lee smiling brightly and doing the nice guy pose on top of it.

Tsunade stood in front of the shrine and cleared her throat. "Rock Lee was an anomaly in every sense of the word. Born without the ability to perform either ninjustus or genjustu he was dubbed a failure by all. A close friend of mine once said that the true measure of a shinobi is not how he lives, but how he dies. Lee died, not for glory, or for power, but to preserve the one thing that truly matters in this world. Life. He gave his life so that we may continue to life ours, and we will never forget that."

Once Tsunade finished people lined up and walked to the shrine one at a time to deliver their parting words.

The first was Garra who placed a blue rose on the shrine to symbolize his respect for the departed ninja. "Even though Naruto was the one to show me that there was more to life then killing you were the first to accept me when I said that I had changed. You didn't even hesitate to offer me your hand in friendship even though i had tried to kill you only a few months before. You gave me hope that I could put my past behind me and helped start me on my path of redemption. I will never forget you for that. Goodbye, my friend."

When it was Neji's turn he placed two roses on the shrine instead of one. A white one for respect, and a yellow rose to symbolize friendship. "I know we never saw eye to eye Lee. Our views of the world were a different as day and night. Yet despite our difference's you still considered me an ally, and treated me as an equal when not even my own family did not. Even if I never said it I always considered you the closest thing to a friend i had, and even though I never put much stock into the thought of being rival, I'm still glad that my rival was you."

Tenten was next in line and like Neji she held both a white and yellow rose. She struggled to hold back her tears as she placed her own white and yellow roses on the shrine. "I know I never said it, but I've always admired you for your determination Lee. No matter what happened or what other people said about you never gave up and always continued to fight. When Sakura was chosen to train with Tsunade I thought my dream had died then and there. But you encouraged me to keep going, and to keep on fighting for my dream. More than anyone, even more then Guy Sensei, you were the person who inspired me to keep going."

Many more yellow flowers were placed on the shrine, most from the other members of the rookie eight, who all said a small prayer.

Naruto stepped up to the shrine. "I'm sorry Lee. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I knew from the moment Sasuke left that someday I'd have to fight him. That someday I'd have to kill him. But as much as I knew it. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It's my fault that things became as bad as they did." Naruto choked bake a sob as tears began to run down his face. "It shouldn't have happened. You shouldn't have had to sacrifice your life to fix my mistake. Now you'll never be able to achieve your dream of showing the world how great you were. Never be able to find happiness with someone you love. Never be able to pass on what you know to others. All because I was to stubborn to do what everyone else kept telling me I should do." Naruto clenched his first and starred up at the Hokoge mountain. "I promise you Lee. Your sacrifice won't be in vain. I vow here and now, that weather I become Hokage or not, I will use every ounce f power to protect this village, and all those who live here, for as long as I live."

Finally it was Sakura's turn. "Lee, you where the kindest, sweetest, bravest ninja I that have ever meet. You protected me treated and me like a princess. I only wish I could say that I treated you the same. I'm so sorry Lee. I am so sorry for all the mean things I ever said to you, for all the times I bushed you off. For all the pain I must have put you though. But most of all I'm sorry for never telling you that I really did care about you. Good bye Lee-kun."

As she walked away she placed her flowers on the shrine. A white lotus flower intertwined with a pink sakura flower.

Later that day Guy stood in front of the small stone that been erected in honor of Lee. He was filled with sadness and heartbreak at the death of his prized pupil. Yet at the same time he had never felt so proud.

Guy didn't even seem to notice as a puff of smoke appeared behind and revealed Kakashi in his usual slouched position. "Hey Guy. I thought I'd find you here."

Guy didn't respond to his rival, or show any sign that he even knew he was there.

Kakashi looked down, for once not sure what to say. "Guy listen I can't even begin to know what you're going through, but I want you to know, if you ever want to talk…"

"Thank you Kakashi," said Guy, speaking without turning toward him. "but for once, I really don't feel much like talking."

Kakashi nodded. The loss of a loved one, weather it was a teacher, a student or a friend was never an easy thing to bear. "I understand." He turned to leave but stopped and turned as he turned his head back to his old friend. "If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."

"I know," said Guy.

Kakashi nodded and disappeared in puff of smoke.

With Kakashi gone Guy turned his attention back to the memorial. "Lee. When we first met you where nothing but a failure. No talent or ability what so ever. Now look at you. Dubbed the greatest tijutsu fighter in Konoha history for single handedly defeating the legendary Susanno in a battle that will no doubt go down in history. May you rest in peace my youthful student, you've finally achieve your dream."

Guy held a hand to his face as he glanced up at the radiant sky. Some would say in was inappropriate that on the day the village mourned the loss of a friend the sun would shine so bright. Almost as though the heavens themselves were laughing at Lee death. But Guy thought it were the most appropriate thing the world. He could almost see Lee's face in the sky as his student looked down on the village while giving the nice guy smile and it brought small ghost of a smile to his face as he walked away from the grave marker.

'Rock Lee

Konoha's Raging Green Dragon

A Good Friend

A Loyal Comrade

A Splendid Ninja'

**Well that's it. I certainly hope that all of you who have been reading this chapter as well as the entire story enjoyed it. **

**Please feel free leave a review telling me what you thought of this chapter as well as the story over all.**


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